Thiago Alcántara is the most overrated player in European football, thinks Liverpool legend

Thiago Alcántara came to Liverpool in the summer of 2020 as a big signing from Bayen, where he had an excellent season. However, due to frequent injuries, he didn’t show his full potential at Anfield Road. According to Dietmar Hamann, one of Liverpool’s legends, he is hugely overrated.

Thiago broke into adult football in a Barcelona jersey, of which he is a product. He made his first two starts in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons, but from 2010/11 he started to get more opportunities.

The next two seasons he played quite steadily, but despite the trio of Busquets – Iniesta – Xavi he found it extremely difficult, almost impossible, to break into the starting line-up. So in the summer of 2013 he left for Bayern Munich, where he was taken by old friend Pep Guardiola.

At Bayern, he was part of the shorter rotation, but he didn’t develop into a key midfielder until later. Thiago’s progression culminated in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, when his performances ranked him among the best midfielders in the world.

That’s why when Liverpool acquired him for just €22 million in the summer of 2020, it was widely considered a standout transfer. But Thiago struggles with frequent injuries in England, he doesn’t stay fit for long and even his performances are often below expectations.

While he has had moments of brilliance where he has resembled Thiago from Bayern, they have been fewer than anyone in Beatles Town would have imagined.

And while he has his fans in Liverpool, he has his detractors just as much. “For me, he is one of the most overrated players in the world,” Dietmar Hamann, the Liverpool defender who was instrumental in the memorable turnaround against AC Milan in 2005, told Sky Sports.

“When things are going well and you hold the ball a lot, he’s a good player. But when he has to step up and start pressing, you don’t see him. I don’t understand why they make him out to be something he’s not,” Hamann continued.

Before the current season, his two competitors from midfield, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, left, but young blood arrived. Alexis MacAllister from Brighton and Dominik Szoboszlai from Leipzig.

Source: MARCA, Sky Sports